Community News Roundup

The City Council authorized City Manager Leif Ahnell to apply for $2 million federal grant to help pay for electronic traffic counters.

The city uses manual counters at 125 locations to conduct 24-hour traffic counts twice a year. It gives the data to the Palm Beach County Metropolitan Planning Organization, which directs how and where available state and federal dollars for transportation improvements will be spent.

The city would have to match 20 percent of the grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation, Research and Innovative Administration.

The project would be done in three phases over as many years.

West Boynton

JCC to hear from director

of Senior vs. Crime Program

Hochman Jewish Community Center is having a bagel breakfast club meeting at 10 a.m. May 20 that will feature Wayne J. Picone, regional director of the Senior vs. Crime Program.

The program is a project of the Florida Attorney General's Office and partners with local law enforcement. Picone will talk about ways seniors can avoid becoming victims of certain crimes particular to their age group.

The JCC is at 8500 Jog Road.

The meeting cost $2 for members and $4 for others.

For reservations, call 561-736-4751.

Delray Beach

Capital improvements spending review on agenda

City Commissioners are scheduled to review spending on capital improvement projects at a workshop tonight in City Hall.

The city needs to borrow about $40.5 million to pay for current and future projects, but commissioners are balking at borrowing that much money.

They have been reviewing projects to see if cuts can be made.

About $21 million of the loan would be used to cover the cost of projects that a $24 million loan in 2004 was supposed to pay for. Another $20 million would be used to pay for planned projects, such as a new fire station and City Hall renovations.

City officials blame the shortfall on increased land prices and construction costs, as well as the increased scope of some projects.

City Hall is at 100 NW First Ave. Call 561-243-7000 or visit the city's Web site at www.mydelraybeach.com.

Lake Worth

City seminar will feature

hurricane-related exhibits

City residents and business owners are urged to arrive by 6:30 p.m. to see the hurricane-related exhibits at the city's third annual Hurricane Seminar on Wednesday.

The program starts at 7 p.m., and topics will include debris pickup, electric utility outage and outreach efforts. The seminar, at the Shuffleboard Court Building, 1121 Lucerne Ave., also will feature city officials and WPTV-Ch. 5 meteorologist Steve Weagle. For more information, contact Kevin Addison at or 561-585-5313.

Palm Beach County

Floridians urged to be extra careful about preventing fires

State Fire Marshal Alex Sink is calling on Floridians to take precautions with their property during Arson Awareness Week through Saturday.

The extra dry conditions are serving as fuel for wildfires, he said. Trim and clean away vegetation and proper store flammable materials.

The County Commission has approved the creation of a 32-member Homeless Advisory Board to help the county meet a federal requirement calling for a 10-year plan to end homelessness.

The appointee will include representatives from municipalities, the School Board, the Sheriff's Office, children and family service agencies, and the health department, among others. The board will not include representatives of the agencies that provide daily services.

Wellington

Lots for Stadium Jumping

are being snapped up quickly

It took less than 24 hours for the horsy set to snap up all the lots surrounding the future home of Stadium Jumping, the producers of the National Horse Show and the Winter Equestrian Festival.

Stadium Jumping announced on May 3 that it was moving to 179 acres in the Wellington Preserve in the southeast part of the village. Diane Jenkins, of Jenkins Appraisal & Realty, said her company placed holds on 135 lots, valued at $150 million total, between 4:05 p.m. May 3 and 10 a.m. May 4. "My phone does not stop ringing," said Jenkins.

Jenkins is only taking reservations, at $850,000 an acre, and the closings won't happen until around August, she said. Between now and then, the Realtor has to set up a new homeowners association and get approvals from the village.

Jenkins declined to name buyers, but said that several already own property in Wellington, some in Grand Prix Village, the neighborhood closest to the existing showgrounds. But there are some newcomers. "We had a couple of people who said, `We missed the boat the first time and we don't want to again,'" she said.